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The Cruise--Details

I didn't include more details in the prior "The Cruise" post for two reasons. 1)  I didn't think anyone would be interested; and 2)  This trip didn't include much of the normal topics:  good beer, good coffee or John-style travel. But there are details, which may be useful to some people contemplating how such a trip is put together. On the first day of the trip, we drove three hours to pick up my mother in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.  At 85, she isn't comfortable driving for long distances and hadn't flown for many years. We then drove 3 1/2 more hours to Chicago, where we checked into the Wyndham, where you can get a room that includes the cost of parking for up to 12 days.   We were up early on the hotel shuttle to O'Hare, where we then boarded the a non-stop American Airlines flight to New Orleans. Here, we checked into a Hampton Inn near the port.  My mother was pretty tired, so Julia and I went out for a Cajun dinner and live music.   Rememberi...
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The North Country: A Day of Snowshoeing

Day Two of this trip was the best.  After a hearty breakfast, we drove into the Nicolet National Forest. The roads were snow-covered and slippery.  Julia's Subaru was up to the task, but there were a few challenging moments on downhills where all-wheel drive is inconsequential and at the trailhead's unplowed parking lot, where we nearly high-centered.

The parking lot was off of Fournier Road, which appears on the map to the left edge just above center.  We were the first on the trail, and we did not see another human in the woods that day.  


Like a lot of trails in the National Forest, this one was lightly maintained.  We got lost a couple of times, and there were lots of downed trees to clamber over.  

We took the Butternut Trail, continuing on Ash Meadow until it looped around to the Gulch. Our plan to take Gulch to the Roller Coaster failed when we couldn't find the continuation of Gulch.  Eventually, we had to backtrack on Gulch to Ash Meadow again, where we retraced our steps to Butternut.  It was a five mile hike through some fairly deep snow.  



After a quick lunch back at the cabin,we drove across the Brule River into the Upper Peninsula.  Our destination was Alpha Michigan Brewing, which proclaims that it's the smallest village in America with a brewery. 

 


Interesting trivia, but how was the beer?  I'm pleased to report that it was really good.  After enjoying a stout and Christmas Wit on the patio (the temp was in the single digits), we took a half-growler of IPA home. 

The tap room was closed due to covid, but true northerners don't let the cold interfere with a good beer. 

 


 



Comments

MFH said…
MMMMMMM, Stout!

Can we get some close-ups and details of/about those "new-fangled" snowshoes Julia's wearing?

I tried snowshoes in January of '82 when I hitch-hiked (from Albuq) to visit friends on the Bruce Peninsula, Ontario. I'd been married a few years and was still in half-decent shape...or so I thought. The snow was powder and 3 feet (and more) deep. I made it all of 300' off the road before giving up. Chicadees flew down and sat on my extended hand!
February 1, 2021 at 10:37 AM
John said…
Julia and I are both using Redfeather Hike snowshoes, which we received as a gift from my mother about ten years ago. They've held up well. I wish the bindings were quicker to put on or off, but otherwise, we have no complaints.

https://www.redfeather.com/product/womens-hike-redfeather-recreational-series-snowshoe/

There's no question that hiking in snowshoes is harder work than hiking without snow, but they let us get to places that we couldn't otherwise get to during the winter It was so quiet and so beautiful that day. There's a significant population of black bears and timber wolves in that area, It's about as wild as Wisconsin gets.
February 1, 2021 at 2:06 PM
greg said…
Ahhh, memories of northern winters. But don't get me wrong! I'm perfectly content, standing here in the 60 degree shade of the barn, to let them remain memories.

Oh, and I think you might have your terminology a little wrong. Y'all weren't lost out there in the woods, just temporarily misplaced.
February 1, 2021 at 2:11 PM
John said…
Yeah, you're right. We accidentally wandered off trail somehow, but weren't really lost. In this case, it was easy to retrace our steps.

I wouldn't mind some 60 degree weather, but it doesn't look like that will be in the cards for awhile.
February 1, 2021 at 3:42 PM
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